One of the things I like about the Miller Woods trail is that it is the easiest one to get to as well as being quite versatile in terms of length. There are three logical turn around points, the halfway point where the terrain shifts from forested dunes and interdunal wetlands, to much more sparsely vegetated and loose sand dunes bordering a small lake, to the foredunes at the lakefront. On this hike I went to what I think of as the second turn around point where the trail turns away from the small lake and heads out to the beach at lake Michigan. There had been some light snow and freezing temps so I was on the lookout for interesting ice formations.
Each time I hike this trail I end up stopping and taking pictures at this spot. The combination of bare trees and the damage wrought by the spring wildfire earlier in the year give the scene an almost post-apocalyptic sense. Especially on an overcast day. Never mind that this hill was lush and vibrant in the summer and fall, it now has an almost eerie quality to it.
When larger trees fall across the trail park maintenance crews come out with chain saws to cut out the section which is blocking the path. (Reporting downed trees across the paths is one of my responsibilities as an NPS volunteer.) The cleanly severed trunks on either side of the trail provide fascinating insights into the growth and structure of the trees. I don’t know what caused the black line which outlines finger like appendages going into the wood. My assumption is some sort of burrowing insect or larva.
The greyish-green lichen with the black circular structures (called apothecia) are one of the most prevalent in the area through the winter and are one of my favorite. The amount of detail and structure to be found when magnified is pretty incredible. Here they appear alongside small patches of bright yellow lichens and shelf fungi. All topped off with an icy snow topping.
This is the sort of thin ice structure I was hoping to find when I came out on this day. The weather conditions had been just right for the formation of relatively thin, and therefor translucent, sheets of ice. In this case the ice had formed over some flattened blades of tall grass. You really need the uniform illumination of a heavily overcast sky to see the detailed patterns in the ice, as bright sunshine will cause the details to be lost in glare.
One of the low lying areas between dune ridges along this trail is full of these tall grasses (or reeds, not sure which). They are 5′ to 6′ tall this time of year.
I love these little white lichens which apparently split up as they grow, forming large patches of remarkably uniformly sized clumps with strong vertical elements. I was also attracted to the colors in the underlying wood which transitions beautifully from a reddish brown to greyish green.
One of the most interesting wood patterns I have come across. Almost looks like the tree was constructed out of thin sheets of wood layered atop one another. Sorta like plywood. The plethora of round holes, presumably from woodpeckers, just adds to the constructed feel.
This patch of moss or lichen (not sure which) really stood out with its bright yellow-green color.
This is a great example of the underground root structure created by Marram grasses and scrub brush. This photo was taken where the trail cuts through a soft sandy rise near the beach. Almost three feet of depth was exposed, this image shows about the top half. The larger black roots are from a small bush. But the real glue which holds the sand together and stabilizes the dune for other vegetation are the the thousands of tiny, almost spider web like roots that form a tangled mat.
The delicate thin patch of ice atop a bed of dead grass and sprouting greenery is my favorite image of this day.